Renovating indoor stairs, how?

[KennieM]

Hello

Now it's time for the stairs to get a makeover. We don't want them pine-colored but white. However, we'd like to open them up to create a more open and bright hallway.
The question is whether it's even possible to open them up.
In one of the pictures of the underside of the stairs, you can see how the "cover panels" go into the stringer. If I remove these, there will be very unsightly joints in the stringer. Should I leave the stairs closed or can these be filled, since the stairs will be repainted anyway?

 

[Stefan N]

The staircase can indeed be constructed with these as part of the construction.

 

[KennieM]

Do you think it's possible to remove these and hide the traces somehow? It was going to be painted over anyway.

 

[nexustwins]

If you remove the back piece, the steps may feel unstable in the worst-case scenario. Hard to say. Many such stairs have a strip mounted on the underside, but whether it's for stability or to prevent too large gaps between the steps (possibly to get it approved in some way), I don't know.

It should work perfectly fine to fill the staircase with carpenter's filler.

 

[Nils82]

It might be that the treads are dimensioned together with the risers, which means you get a "frail" staircase if these are removed. You can solve it in another way, but that means more work in addition to what is already to be done.

Keep in mind that a staircase requires 1000% more work than you initially think. I never learn and am equally surprised every time :banghead:

 

[_carlss0n_]

Hello

I am interested in the outcome... was it open or closed? If open, did you plaster over the recess? We are facing a similar renovation with recessed risers and want to change to open. Thanks in advance

 

[KennieM]

Hello again.
We have now decided to remove the trellis on the stairs. Does anyone know if it's possible to also remove the larger one that goes from floor to ceiling in the corner of the stairs? It's not attached to the stairs and doesn't seem completely rigid either.

Grateful for a quick response

 

[Per i Hamrånge]

The trellis is primarily a safety feature. Not a design element. I wouldn't remove it.

 

[Tosse]

Step kit with risers and paint the underside? Don't forget the barrier paint... I painted mine gray, it turned out nice, I think. Bought the steps from byggmax and sawed for a couple of evenings. The stairs are painted with alcro kraft as a base and then alcro floor paint, s2500-n.